I am extra excited to share this conversation with you for a couple of reasons.

The first is who I spoke to, Mariana Jimenez.  Mariana is the host of the commitment to growth podcast where she shares actionable information on how to do the difficult inner work that is the prerequisite to human thriving.  If you were to give it a listen you would find a large selection of useful content including Mariana's conversations with wellness experts and episodes about her own personal lessons.  You would also find that it is hosted by someone who practices what they preach; throughout our conversation, it became clear to me that Mariana is actively trying to live the best life she can and that, above anything else, is why you should check out this episode and her content.

The second is that this episode was a special joint episode where Mariana and I went back and forth, asking each other one deep question after another. I had an amazing time as we talked about things including how we have both found (and continue to find) purpose in our early 20s, how we practice living well in accordance with our truth, how we cultivate meaningful relationships with ourselves and others, how some of life's biggest lessons have gotten us to where we are today, and so much more. You'll be hearing lots of useful, daily, easy-to-apply advice about personal growth from Mariana and myself if you decide to give it a listen.

I hope you enjoy our conversation as much as I did, but I'm not sure if that's possible this time :)

Simon

If you're interested in checking out Mariana's content her podcast is "The Commitment to Growth Podcast" on all platforms, and her Instagram account, where she frequently posts the best takeaways from her podcast can be found at @commitmentttgrowthpodcast.

For all information related to the podcast go to learingfromhumanity.com or follow me on Instagram @learningfromhumanity.

Everything from little tricks to get the most out of every day to the ultimate nature of reality made it into this conversation, and I loved it. Specifically, it reminded me of how finite our lives are and how beautiful they can be. Some topics that Rafael specifically spoke to are the positive power of reflecting on death, the value of being present, and the importance of homing in on what captivates you. If sitting in on a useful, stimulating, and wide-ranging conversation seems like a good time to you, I would recommend tuning in to this episode.

If you’re interested in checking out any of Rafael’s art hit up his art account @alchemistdraw28.

I hope you enjoy our conversation as much as I did,

Simon

For all information related to the podcast go to learingfromhumanity.com or follow me on Instagram @learningfromhumanity.

When Sophie was eight years old she was introduced to climbing and she hasn’t stopped since. She now competes at the national level. If a conversation about climbing, performance mindset, and living well interests you this is the one for you.

If you’re interested in checking out some of Sophie’s climbing you can find some gnarly videos @sophie_buitendyk.

I hope you enjoy our conversation as much as I did.

Have a great day!!

Simon

For all information related to the podcast go to learingfromhumanity.com or follow me on Instagram @learningfromhumanity.

Kate’s done some pretty cool things like biking around New Zealand and backpacking Europe but that wasn’t what made our conversation interesting.  That was taken care of by Kate’s unique approach to life.  A few of her thoughts that struck me are that you can always go back and try again, to live well is to search for and create beautiful things, that we ought to walk lightly through life, and that the little moments often make the biggest differences.  I repeatedly found myself rethinking the way that I approached life as we talked, just as I believe you will.

I hope you enjoy our conversation as much as I did,

Simon

For all information related to the podcast go to learingfromhumanity.com or follow me on Instagram @learningfromhumanity.

Rylee was raised to be grateful for all the good things in her life.  From that place of gratitude she now advocates for an equitable society with a focus on challenging and dismantling systemic injustice.  She is presently doing this as the president of one student organization and a founding member of another.  A few of the things we discussed are the interconnectedness of equity and diversity, the importance of starting with yourself, being your own best friend and advocate, and how awesome journaling is.

I hope you enjoy our conversation as much as I did,

Have a great day,

Simon Funk

Advocacy Resources:

https://www.instagram.com/uvicedsea/ - The Instagram account of one of one of the student organizations Rylee helps run

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/17WqGTE7Uj5KBsn9U-mQdq6hUarMBPmBA - a collection of resources that they have put together to help people educate themselves on how to help bring about a more equitable society.

For all information related to the podcast go to learingfromhumanity.com or follow me on Instagram @learningfromhumanity.

I have known Janet for my entire life... as my Grandma.  Over the years the things that have defined her to me are her love for God, her family, and all others, in that order.  As such it was no surprise to me that those were the themes that our conversation was centered on.  For those of you who don't know her life trajectory, this is it in one sentence:  Janet, born and raised in the woods, became a nurse, rejected and then found God, raised a family, and now tries to love those around her as best she can with Jesus' help.  On a slightly comedic note, her mother told her "I think you've gone off the deep end" when she became a Christian.

I hope you enjoy our conversation as much as I did,

Have a great day,

Simon

For all information related to the podcast go to learingfromhumanity.com or follow me on Instagram @learningfromhumanity.

Chris knocked my socks off.  But I guess I should have expected nothing less from someone who just went all in on his dreams.  What might those dreams be?  Writing poetry, forming real connections, learning to love himself and others, caring for people as a vulnerability coach, and writing a book on how to love.  Throughout our conversation his care, love, and desire for deeper connection amazed me as we dug deep into vulnerability, healthy masculinity, the power of writing, relationships, and how to live well.  He even practiced vulnerability on the air by sharing a reading from his journal which was incredibly beautiful.  A couple more cool things about Chris are that he has competed in slam poetry at the national level, lived in Central America for three months, and helped start and run a mindfulness meditation retreat.

If your interested in Chris' work it can all be found @becoming_christopher.

I'd be surprised if you enjoy this one as much as I did but I still hope you do.

For all information related to the podcast go to learingfromhumanity.com or follow me on Instagram @learningfromhumanity.

Have a great day,

Simon

When Brennen was ten or eleven years old his dad dragged him in front of the tv to watch triathlon in the Olympics, and it changed his life.  Thus far he has competed professionally for approximately six years all over the world, and continues to push himself to achieve the very best.   He also lived and trained for extended periods in three countries; Canada, Spain, and Australia.   If you're interested in getting into the head of a world class athlete and picking up some approaches to life that are working for him give this episode a listen.  We also dug deep into the mindsets that lead to high-level performance.

I hope you enjoy our conversation as much as I did.

For all information related to the podcast go to learingfromhumanity.com or follow me on Instagram @learningfromhumanity.

Have a great day,

Simon Funk

"Life is not fair ... but you do not know the end result yet."

Helen is a woman of faith, the Christian faith to be specific, and much of our conversation revolved around God. I was amazed by her trust in him, especially considering that she lost both her parents in a car accident at the age of twelve.  That tragic event didn't prevent her from living one amazing life that continues to this day.  Over the years she has hitchhiked to Alaska, lived in Japan for a summer, worked as a teacher for the blind and deaf, and raised a family.  In our conversation, she described life as a path and living well as a process that is never-ending, I liked that; I liked the whole conversation.  The content ranged from the importance of commitment in relationships to learning how to make mistakes to sunrises being a piece of art that has a special place in her heart.

I hope you enjoy our conversation as much as I did.

For all information related to the podcast go to learingfromhumanity.com or follow me on Instagram @learningfromhumanity.

Have a great day,

Simon Funk

Stefan is an adventurer at heart and originally a plastic surgeon by trade.  I have known him for a long time and never had any idea that he was as cool as this conversation showed him to be.  Among many other things, we discussed honesty, his travels to South Africa and Nepal, and of course adventure.   It seems like I'm saying this with every episode, but so far it's always been true; this conversation opened my eyes to the depths that hide in the people around me.  I also left asking myself a question:  What's my next adventure?  If any of that interests you I would highly recommend listening to our conversation.

For all information related to the podcast go to learingfromhumanity.com or follow me on Instagram @learningfromhumanity.

Have a great day,

Simon Funk